Hunt for the Virgin Rainbow

By K. M. Steele

A pulp-fiction mashup with a strong female protagonist by the hilarious K. M. Steele. Brace yourself, hold onto your seat. You're in for the adventure of a lifetime in the Hunt for the Virgin Rainbow. It's been described as a love letter to the Australian outback.

Mallory Cash is not your typical jewel thief. But

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hawkeye Publishing Pty Ltd
• Release date: Aug 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9780645084481

K. M. Steele

K. M. Steele is a dedicated word wrangler with a PhD in English Literature from Macquarie University. Her debut novel, Return to Tamarlin, was published in 2017, and she has articles, reviews, essays, poetry and short stories published in various journals, including Australian Book Review, Australian ejournal of Theology, Colloquy, Transnational Literature and Antipodes. Hawkeye Publishing signed her for her second novel, Hunt for the Virgin Rainbow.

Book preview

Hunt for the Virgin Rainbow

K M STEELE

FIRST PUBLISHED IN Australia in 2021 by Hawkeye Publishing.

Copyright © K M Steele.

Cover Design by Ellen Milligan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, nor transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, not be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

ISBN 9780645084481

www.hawkeyepublishing.com.au

www.hawkeyebooks.com.au

1

MALLORY yawned and rolled her shoulders. The motorbike drifted toward the centre of the road. She corrected her line without urgency. The empty highway melted into the shimmering, heated nothingness ahead of her, Port Augusta no more than a distant memory. She squeezed her eyes shut against the glare, before surveying the unrelenting flatness on either side of the road. This last stretch to Coober Pedy was the most featureless, boring ride she’d ever taken in her life.

Four emus appeared on her left, running alongside the bike. Earlier experience had taught her to resist the urge to race them. Like the giant red kangaroos that covered jaw-dropping distances in one bound, these oversized birds had some speed. She dropped down a gear, waiting for the inevitable. There would be a point of no return when they darted across the road in front of her. Their long legs covered the ground in easy strides, making the feathery skirts on their rumps skip back and forth. One drew level with the bike, looking down its beak at her with an intense dinosaur eye. Her breath caught in her throat. The creatures in Australia were so alien. Some of them seemed frightening and impossible. All the same, the emus were a welcome relief from the monotony of the journey and would have continued to hold her attention if a dark lump on the side of the road had not appeared out of the haze.

As she came closer, the indistinct shape solidified into a dark green 4WD. Steam rose from the front of the vehicle and a tall well-built man stood at the back, his face barely visible behind fashion sunglasses and a white handkerchief tied around his nose and mouth. He waved frantically as she approached. She played it safe, moving toward the middle of the road as she slowed.

He ran toward her. ‘The motor’s blown. Can you give me a lift to Coober Pedy?’

The sound of his familiar voice sent an unpleasant jolt through her body. ‘Derek? What the hell are you doing here?’

He pulled off his sunglasses. ‘Mallory Cash? What are you doing in Australia?’

She gunned the bike. ‘I asked first.’

‘Oh, come on honey, this is hardly the time to play games.’

‘I’m not playing. Remember what you did last time we had the pleasure of each other’s company?’ She rolled the bike forward.

He held up a pleading hand and stepped closer. ‘Now come on sweetheart, that was over twelve months ago. Surely you’re not still angry.’ He took another tentative step. ‘Come on Mal babe, for old time’s sake?’

She hesitated. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I’m on holiday of course. Who can resist the sights and sounds of Australia?’ He spread a hand toward the emptiness beyond the road.

She burst into laughter. ‘Try again, buddy.’

He moved a step closer. ‘Well if you must know, I’ve been looking for you, babe. I mean, really and truly searching. When I discovered you were heading down under,’ he looked at her with melting eyes, ‘Well, let’s just say, I can hardly believe I’ve found you again.’

He took another step toward her. ‘You’ve always been a hard one to pin down, Mal.’

She knew he was lying. His ability to manage it so well, and with such speed, could still stun her.

She shook her head. ‘See ya, big boy. It’s your turn to walk.’

She took off before he could keep working on her. He had his ways, did Derek. He would smile that beautiful ‘trust-me’ smile, and pin her to the ground with those dancing blue eyes. She would be putty, would end up giving him whatever he wanted. Well, not this time. She looked in the rearview mirror, saw him jumping up and down on the road, shaking a fist in her direction. She grinned and blew him a kiss. He’d be okay. Guys like him always fell on their feet.

Long after she left Derek behind, his presence in the middle of Australia continued to bother her. He wasn’t the kind of guy who liked to holiday in out of the way places. Hanging with the rich and famous, being seen with beautiful women in Cannes, that was more his style. Was he working for someone? Was he following her?

She pushed the last idea away. Ridiculous to think Derek had any interest in her. Their moment was well and truly gone. He made it abundantly clear the last time they were together that they would never be an item again. Professional reasons though, now that was another matter.

The facts clicked over in her mind, settling on a disturbing outcome. It was impossible to know who had employed him, or how he came to be where he was, but there was no doubting he was here for the same reason that had drawn her to Australia. He was hunting the Virgin Rainbow.

Mallory accelerated, leaving the discomfort of discovering Derek behind as she sped into the desert. The pale mullock heaps near the outskirts of Coober Pedy appeared out of the haze and she slowed to look. She’d done her homework. The mullock heaps meant she was getting closer to her goal. She pulled the bike over, taking a moment to stretch her legs, and wonder why some of the world’s most beautiful gems came out of a landscape with indescribable animals, enormous tracts of nothing, and garbage dumps. She cast an eye over the flat, empty land beyond and decided that the mullock heaps might come in handy in the future. They continued as far as the eye could see, hiding any number of abandoned dreams and broken promises in the mine shafts dotted throughout the heaps. They were the perfect place to run in an emergency.

She walked back to her bike, baulking at the sound of an approaching vehicle. The stuttering engine was almost drowned out by loud music, whistling and raucous female laughter. She waited, watching the empty road with interest until an old school bus, complete with a pair of men’s trousers on the antenna, appeared. Garish flowers and chickens dressed in red bikinis decorated the sides of the vehicle. As it drew closer, women appeared at the windows, their heads covered in gossamer veils. They waved and yelled at her in flat, indecipherable accents as the bus passed. She caught a glimpse of a man gyrating in the middle of the bus, his muscular torso covered in female hands. As the vehicle passed, a sign on the back proclaimed, The Chick Coop entertaining hens from PA to Coober Pedy for 20 years!

Her first Australian hen’s party in action... From what Mallory could see, they were a little different to the bachelorette parties she’d attended in Canada. She chuckled. The poor guy on the bus would be more than earning his money to keep those ladies happy. She jumped on her bike and waved at the screeching women as she overtook them on the way into town.

DEREK WATCHED MALLORY ride by and silently promised to make her pay. One of the hens jumped out of her seat and grabbed at his groin as he danced along the aisle between the seats. He slipped from her grip, waving a finger at her like a school headmaster. The bus hit a bump on the highway, throwing him off balance. He bounced into the woman and put his hands on her waist to steady her against the rocking of the bus.

She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. ‘We got us a live one here, girls!’

He peeled her hands off his neck with difficulty and moved toward the driver. He was almost close enough to get her attention when a girl lying across one of the front seats put her long legs across the aisle. ‘Not so fast, sailor. There’s still a mile of fun before we reach Coober Pedy.’

He turned without argument and danced toward the back of the bus. When it had first pulled over on the highway, he was certain the bus was the answer to his prayers. The women cheered as he climbed the steps and he thought he was more than set for an enjoyable journey. What more could a man ask for than a busload of women on the prowl? He expected light flirtation, a lot of attention, perhaps a phone number or two. But these women were like none he’d ever met. They’d taken his trousers hostage and told him to dance for his fare. The bride was already face-down on the back seat, her auburn hair tangled amongst her veil, her skirt up around her buttocks. Her loud snoring was a source of great enjoyment to her companions.

As the women uploaded photo after photo of the backseat sleeping beauty, and their captive desert pirate, to the net, Derek thanked God they let him keep his bandana and sunglasses. The last thing he needed was someone recognising him. It was bad enough that Mallory had seen him.

He stepped around another amorous hen and wondered why Mallory Cash was in Australia. She loved wild, untouched places, so perhaps it was coincidental. Maybe she just wanted some time out to get over him and had chosen the back end of nowhere to do it.

No, even at his most egotistical, he knew she had moved on long ago. His gut told him something else was afoot. If she wanted time out, she’d go home to Canada, to those frozen mountains she loved so much. He felt sure she was here for the same reason as him – The Virgin Rainbow.

‘The virgin whattie?’ A tiny blonde swayed in front of him, her beer bottle tipping and dribbling down the front of her dress. ‘Did you hear that girls? This fella wants a virgin!’ She put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. ‘Jeez, sorry mate, you picked the wrong ride.’

The women erupted in laughter. Derek cursed his inability to stop muttering when he was angry. He grabbed the blonde, twirling her around and singing a pirate song until she giggled and shrieked. The flurry of photography and mirth that followed deflected attention from his slip of the tongue.

2

MALLORY rolled into the sleepy town that looked as overheated as it felt. There were few cars and even fewer pedestrians. The main thoroughfare was broad and straight with red dust meeting tarmac, and sidewalks flanked by low, utilitarian buildings. Occasional trees and hedges provided greenery, which stood out among the different shades of red and brown. Signs along the street offered opportunities to buy, view, mine and polish opals, visit opal museums, and take opal tours. She slowed at the Underground Art Gallery and carefully surveyed the area. The giant rainbow coloured boomerang and small bunker entrance didn’t suggest the kind of place where a person would find much of worth, but she figured looks could be deceiving in a place like this.

Mallory parked the bike behind an old bus near the gallery entrance and went down the stairs, stopping short at the amazing space and coolness of the underground chamber. Despite the spaciousness, she felt her old enemy, claustrophobia, closing in and had to remind